BLM Colorado modifies land closure in Rio Blanco County
Colorado
Media Contact
BLM Office:
Meeker, Colo — The Bureau of Land Management is reopening a portion of public lands in Rio Blanco county while keeping other identified lands closed due to recent activity on the Lee Fire. The order is effective immediately and will remain in effect until the Lee Fire is controlled or until the order is rescinded. The emergency closure is necessary to ensure public and firefighter safety during firefighting activities and initial suppression rehabilitation efforts.
This closure modifies previous closures and affects all BLM lands in the vicinity of the Lee Fire area as defined by public lands west of Rio Blanco County Road (RBC) 7, south of the Rio Blanco and Moffat county line, East of RBC 77, 71, 5, 26, 29, and 87, north of the Rio Blanco and Garfield county line, as well as lands adjacent to Garfield County road 256 and RBC 13.
This closure order opens the lands previously closed north of the town of Meeker bounded by RBC 7, south of the Rio Blanco and Moffat county line, west of Highway 13 to the intersection of Highway 64 and north of Highway 64.
Please see map and closure order for more detailed locations.
Exemptions to the Closure Order:
- Federal, state, and local officers and employees in the performance of the official duties.
- Members of organized rescue or firefighting forces in the performance of their official duties.
- People with permitted authorization from the BLM through daily coordination with the BLM and incident command operations.
Legal Penalties:
- Violations of this order may lead to prosecution, with fines and possible imprisonment.
Additional details and a closure map are available on the Northwest District Fire Restrictions webpage. For more information, please contact the BLM White River Field Office Front Desk at 970-878-3800
-BLM-
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.